FDA and Coviden notified healthcare professionals of a recall of certain lots of its cuffed ShileyTM tracheostomy tubes and Custom/Specialty tracheostomy tubes due to the product's cuff not holding air as a result of leaks in the pilot balloon inflation assembly. With respect to the affected units, if a cuff does not hold air, ventilation will be adversely affected since the ability to generate positive pressure in the airway could be compromised by lack of cuff seal. This could result in a sudden decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood or a sudden increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood, especially if the patient requires assisted mechanical ventilation. In some instances, this could result in serious injury, including death.

The voluntary recall only affects lot numbers from a specific period of time. Only Shiley tracheostomy tubes from lot numbers listed in the firms' press release are affected by this action.